2017 Winner: Jessie Taken Alive-Rencountre

Jessie Taken Alive-Rencountre is Hunkpapa Lakota from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. She currently resides in Rapid City with her husband Whitney, and their four daughters.

Jessie earned a bachelor’s degree from Black Hills State University in psychology and American Indian studies. She also holds a master’s degree in counseling and human resource development, with a specialty in school counseling from South Dakota State University.

Jessie worked as a school counselor for eight years, and is currently teaching at Rapid City High School as a JAG Specialist. Her passion is to help students remember their importance in life as well as to utilize their unique talents and passions to create better communities for themselves and future generations to come.

Jessie loves to educate others about Lakota culture using storytelling as well as song and dance. In January 2018, Jessie published her award winning submission for SDSU’s 2017 Emerging Tribal Writers Award. Her book, Pet’a Shows Misun the Light, is now available for purchase through Mascot Books.